stringer bell

Reds messed up the relay. Polanco could have scored, now Gonzalez and Kepler can't get it done.

Nice Garver!

Walks and homers.

Would be nice to get that runner in from second. Most likely if Adrianza scores, he is jogging because Buxton hit one out.

What is the all-time record for strikeouts by a hitter? Sanó would be on a pace to strike out about 250 times in a full season.

This is going to be my 10,000th post on Twins Daily, so it might be a bit long and more than a little bit personal. Let me start by saying that 2020 has been a significant year for me. I got married this summer at an age where more people are celebrating the wedding of their ........grandchildren. I'm lucky to have found love in the September (maybe October or November) of my life. I consider myself a bit of a victim of the COVID-19 outbreak. I was in Fort Myers in March and watched two of the Twins exhibition games, one in Clearwater, one in Fort Myers, when the Utah BB players tested positive starting the wave of cancellations and sparking uncertainty. My then-fianceé was set to join me for a week of sun and baseball, but instead I had to drive home by myself. That week may have been the strangest I've ever seen, no traffic anywhere, empty beaches, sold out aisles and the like. I am a retired person and was going absolutely stir crazy until the golf courses opened in April. As soon as the announcement that golf would be permitted was made, we got a foot of snow, delaying the opening of my home course by another 10 days. No baseball through all of this, and the distinct possibility that the entire season would be wiped out. I learned how to use Zoom to see my kids and grandkids, watched a lot of Netflix and Amazon and waited for baseball. Twins Daily has been a lifeline to me. I was so frustrated with baseball and pandemics, but still tried to check the site when there was no activity to report. Like the rest of the world, the site has been a little ......different in this short season with so many changes. However, I'm glad to be here and enjoying baseball again, and my favorite team has a chance to make some noise in the postseason. The season has taken some getting used to. Seven inning doubleheader games, man on second in extra innings, expanded rosters, empty stands, masks everywhere. What has resulted however is a lot of great stories--a great race for the last 4-5 NL seeds, underdogs like Miami and Toronto having a shot (Toronto is in) and small market teams in the AL with the best record. The playoff formula works fine for this shortened season and might be what we'll see going forward. We all know the money is made in postseason, so why not expand it? The Twins face Cincinnati tonight with seeding and a division championship on the line. The Reds are playing for their postseason lives right now, they have everything to play for. Today's lineup looks to be the starting lineup for Game 1 of the postseason for the Twins, with Berríos on instead of Maeda and Gonzalez starting at second, which would be the case if Arraez is not ready to play. The Reds don't have a qualified hitter with a batting average above .228, but they can pitch! Should be a fun night at Target Field.

Surprised about the Bailey move, but with a weekend to go before the postseason, I guess if they don't think they can use him, there is no need to keep him on the roster. I'm curious about roster manipulation for the playoffs. If, for example, the Front Office decides that Colina can't help them during the playoffs, do they have to option him or just take him off the active roster. If they are going to start Odorizzi in the last game, someone will have to be optioned or DFAed, same for Arraez, if he plays in the last series. Can anyone who is taken off the roster in such a manner simply be added to the active playoff roster?

The Front Office has made good moves, no question. Another phase will be development of players. This will be key in keeping on top of the heap in the Central and perhaps all of baseball. We really haven't seen much of highly regarded pitching prospects at the major league level. If the brain trust can develop an elite starter or two plus a couple of top-end bullpen arms, I will be convinced

While it depends on what the White Sox do, most likely there will be at least seeding position on the line for Sunday's game and it's entirely possible that the division title will be on the line even if the Twins win both tonight and tomorrow.

It certainly means something to the Twins to win the division or get the highest seed possible. They still could end up with a #7 seed and have to visit a division champion on the road, so winning is important. That said, winning one game will guarantee a home first round series against a lower seed and Cincinnati might need to win all three, or at least two of three to get in the playoffs at all. They need to win more than the Twins do.

Interesting stuff with the tiebreakers. For example, Chicago is in actuality less than a game behind the Twins. If they gain a game, they are ahead of Minnesota. On the flip side, they lead Cleveland by less than a game. Same script, different characters. I don't know if the Twins really want to face one team over another, but winning the division would seem to be a worthwhile goal, guaranteeing a home first round playoff series. I would expect Oakland garners the #2 seed and Tampa nets the #1, but it wouldn't surprise me if Chicago grabbed #3 from the Twins.

'06 was fun, but the Twins were in the playoffs, it was only a question of winning the division. '09 was outstanding fun, a real underdog story and Game 163 was memorable. In that game, it was win or go home and if they lost, the Metrodome was done for. IDK if the Vikings played in the Dome that fall and winter. The Twins participated in perhaps the best pennant race back in 1967. They led by a game with two to go, but were swept at Fenway by the Impossible Dream Red Sox. Detroit and Chicago were also in it until the final weekend. As I recall, the Red Sox didn't clinch until Detroit lost one game of a doubleheader on the last day of the season.

Lance Lynn getting knocked around in his final start—7-0 ‘Stros.

Coulda been worse. Three walks and an infield hit for the Evil Empire, but pinch-hitter Gary Sanchez flies out to deep center with the sacks juiced.

Sox get a two-run single from Mazara (his first big hit this year?) and take a 4-1 lead.

Ex-Twin note. Martín Pérez has had a pretty good year for a pretty bad team (Red Sox) but he might close it out with a bad outing. He's down 1-0 with the bases loaded none out in the second.

Sox score and are threatening to add some more. 2-1 Sox, runners on second and third and only one out.

Bells and Boones are three generation baseball families. I remember Gus Bell playing in the 60s, but don't remember Bob Boone's dad, Ray.

Gee, Toronto needs to call Robbie Alomar out of retirement to play second base, then they'd have an all-second generation infield. When did Vlad Jr. move to first?

I like it! Homer for Vlad Jr. puts the Jays up 1-0.

The Twins win the tiebreaker with the Yankees if the Yankees lose tonight on the basis of last 20 divisional games (12-8 vs. 11-9). If the Yankees prevail today, then the magic number is 2 to avoid a trip to the Bronx.

The Twins have the tiebreaker with Cleveland, so the magic number to eliminate Cleveland is 1. That is one Minnesota win or Cleveland loss and the Twins finish ahead of Cleveland for seeding. Also, in a 3-way tie, the Twins come out on top, Cleveland second and the White Sox third. Rosario had two very good games against the Tigers. Whether this is his last run with the Twins or not, he is a good major league player, although at times he makes me want to tear out what hair I have left. Alcala did not throw enough strikes last night. Detroit hit a bunch of long fly balls, but did no damage. I really would like to see the Twins go with Jeffers behind the plate, but I still expect Garver to be the starter.

I count the Twins as 12-8 in their last 20 division games, which would mean that they will have the tiebreaker versus New York if the Yankees lose today.

Last night is a good example. Maeda absolutely shut down Detroit for five innings and in the last four innings Detroit got 10 hits, most of them from soft contact. Obviously Miggy's two bombs were not softly hit, but at least half of their ten hits were loopers that found the grass.

Done. I wonder what the odds are now for Chicago and the Twins to win the division. If NY loses tomorrow, the Twins host a 4-5 series with the Yankees, correct? One more Twins victory clinches at least second place. If the Twins, Sox and Cleveland all tie at 36-24, the Twins win the Central.